Bob Arum defended Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s use of marijuana and use of the drug in general during a media conference call on Tuesday. “I want to go on record as saying that there is nothing wrong with smoking pot,” Arum said during the call.

Former middleweight titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. went face to face with Bryan Vera in Los Angeles to promote their Sept. 28 fight, which will take place at the 168-pound limit. Photos by Chris Farina-Top Rank.

The postponed Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-Brian Vera fight has been moved to Sept. 28 as part of a split-site HBO doubleheader paired with a defense by RING light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson against Tavoris Cloud.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s decision to not to face Brian Vera after suffering a cut during sparring was apparently motivated in part by his father’s 1996 bout against Oscar De La Hoya, which he lost by fourth-round knockout after a sparring wound over his left eye opened early and bled profusely.

The upcoming bouts in October veaturing Juan Manuel Marquez versus Tim Bradley and Mike Alvarado against Ruslan Provodnikov, followed by the Manny Pacquiao-Brandon Rios fight in November, could lead to a round robin between the welterweights and 140 pounders.